Father Figure
by LM Simpson
Summary: Sonic will regret missing the last several years.
1. Prologue

**Title: **Father Figure

**Author: **LM Simpson (Kady the Red Panda)

**Pairing(s): **SonicxAmy

**Rating: **T

**Warning(s): **Childbirth, sexual references, some strong coarse language, child endangerment

**Disclaimer: **I only own my original character, Dash. Twu fax.

**Other tidbits: **I wrote a _Sonic the Hedgehog _fanfic back in 2008. It sucked. Hopefully this will be better.

**Prologue**

0000

Amy Rose blew, sobbed, then inhaled again. Sweat dripped down her body like the tears dripping down her face.

Vanilla, under Amy's sodden red blanket, remained calm. "You're doing very well, Amy. Now push again."

The hedgehog grunted. "I don't know if I can do it! It hurts so much…"

It had been eleven, going on twelve, hours. Everything ached or numbed: neck, belly, back, lower back, butt, legs… She felt miserable. There she was in her bedroom, naked and sweaty under the blanket. A blue blanket and a couple of tools were on the nightstand to her left. Unlike when the contractions began, sunlight illuminated the place.

Vanilla announced moments earlier that the baby crowned. Ooh, how could something so natural hurt so much? It needed to exit her _now—_she had no idea how much longer she could tolerate this pain. She sobbed and pushed again. She completely forgot her breathing techniques, the pain was so severe.

"Amy! I'm holding its head! I need just one more push!"

"O-one…T-two…Th-three—Aah!" Once Amy discontinued screaming, her body loosened. Soreness and fatigue replaced pain. A squeal neither from her nor Vanilla filled the air. She quivered as she looked up.

Vanilla smiled. The blue blanket previously beside Amy covered the bawling child.

"Amy… It's a beautiful little boy. Would you like to hold him?"

Amy, weak and nervous, nodded. The elder mother squatted, transferred the child to the new mother's open arms, and then walked towards the bedroom door.

Amy closed her eyes. The boy wriggled in her arms. She could not believe it—Amy Rose, a mother at fourteen. She always wanted to be a mother, but not _now_. But she could not change that now—the deadline for that was months ago. Besides, as soon as she gazed upon her son, he would become her world… Right? She hoped… worried. Could anyone—_anything_—replace Sonic?

_Well, here it goes… O-one, t-two, th-three…_

That boy's eyes met her own. The colors matched. She consciously inspected his petite paws, feet, blue quills, tail. Perfect, all perfect. Miniature, yes, but perfect. And this little thing came from within _her_ (though, of course, his father's good looks certainly contributed as well).

He cried again. "Hmm…" she thought, conjuring explanations for his wails. "Are you cold? Sleepy? Hungry? I wish you could tell me!" Amy began sniffing again. _She _was sleepy and hungry, but she felt selfish for wanting to put herself ahead of _her own flesh and blood…_

"Amy! Amy!" Cream exclaimed as Cheese and she zipped through the door. Vanilla followed soon after.

"Hi, Cream," she weakly said.

"May I please see him?"

The baby whimpered. "Not too long. I don't know why he's crying. I think he's very hungry." She uncovered part of the blanket so the girl received a good look.

Cream gasped and smiled. She clasped her face in awe. Cheese squealed jovially. "Oh, Amy! He's beautiful! He looks so much like his father!"

_His father._ Such stinging words. His father was not with them anymore. He was out, defending the world and being himself. Amy worried about life as a single mother, even with friends help. The boy's father, after all, was a handful himself.


	2. Chapter One

**LM Simpson's tidbits: **Thank y'all for the feedback. This will probably develop a little slowly, but don't worry, I won't give up yet.

**Chapter Two**

2222

A little blue hedgehog dozed in a flower field. Purple, pink, white, and yellow petals dotted the ground as far as the eye could see. Yellow and black banded bees sporadically greeted certain few. The boy's gloved hand covered his face, blocking the sun's super vivid radiance. A light breeze blew by.

His eyes opened. Red outlined his clasped fingers. The hedgehog rose, blinked profusely, and rubbed his eyes.

Four-year-old Dash liked his sloth-ridden lifestyle: waking up to a bright morning, a breakfast whipped by his mother, and then playing and relaxing until lunch, dinner, and sleep. Many only dreamed, schemed, envied that daily life. Of course, even playful boys got bored interacting with no one else.

_I wonder if Uncle Miles can play, _Dash thought. His legs began moving towards the fastest path to Tails's residence. He ran as fast as possible, to the point his throat ached with thirst and his lungs ached for air. Even at four, he grew frustrated at being too slow. If only he was faster…

A buzzing sound faintly greeted his ears. Dash initially interpreted it as a bee by his ear, but noticed no obvious senses. Then the buzzing grew louder, more mechanical. He turned around, looked up, and grinned.

"Uncle Miles! UNCLE MILES!" He cried repeatedly.

From the ever shortening distance, Tails, golden fur whipping in the air, waved at his surrogate nephew. Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted something in the distance. Something blue… and fast. His head leaned forward.

"That can't be… "And it was speeding closer and closer to Amy Rose's home. What little doubt remained in Tails's mind ceased to exist. "Yes, it's gotta be him! But did he only come here _now?..._"

Dash, expecting Tails's normal response of him landing at a suitable location when he noticed him during his flight, gasped as he passed by.

"Uncle Miles! UNCLE MILES! HEY! Come back!" He yelled as he turned and began his pursuit. Once again, he ran as fast as he could, only tripping a red and white striped shoe over a larger-than-average pebble. He landed on his knees and yelped. The impact sites hurting, Dash inspected the damage upon rising. He gasped—red blood oozed from the broken skin onto blue fur. The hedgehog's eyes collected saline tears, and he bawled as he ran towards his home.

"MA-MAAAHH!"

"Mama," meanwhile, swiped a sweaty brow, and slumped onto the red couch within her living room.

"Finally! I can finally get some peace for a few minutes before I have to make lunch!" Amy Rose declared to herself. Since breakfast (when she prepared eggs and toast for two), she washed the dishes, swept the kitchen linoleum and remaining rooms' white carpet, dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed the toilets and where Dash accidentally spilled some blue finger paint, and wiped all the electronics. After secreting all that elbow grease, she surely must have deserved _some _"me time." She grabbed the remote and pressed "on." The television only blared a white rabbit blabbering excitingly over being engaged to her friends for a few minutes when someone knocked on the door.

_Sigh… _She lifted her body off the couch and towards the front door. _I wonder who would be visiting right now…_

When Amy opened the door, her jaw dropped. Her eyes widening, she stared at Sonic the Hedgehog right in front of her. He barely changed—same blue quills, same bright green eyes, same everything she could recall. He looked grand and youthful compared to her domestic and baggy red shirt and pants and her weary and scruffy fur. She was not fat, but still far from as skinny as she was at twelve.

She swiftly flattened her pink quills before she finally rediscovered spoken language. "Sonic!... Is that you?"

He nodded, and then smirked. Even _that _was the same. "Long time no see, Amy! How have you been?"

_All that time gone and that's _all_ he could ask? _He was lucky years of being a mother tamed her temper to an extent. _"_I've been… good. You?"

Sonic gave a thumbs-up! "Excellent! I've never been better! Say, can I come in for a second?"

_It better be longer for a second… _"You're _always _welcome in my house, Sonic! Come in!" She pulled the front door further towards her direction.

Sonic followed her to the yellow-walled kitchen like an innocent, trusting puppy. Amy directed him to the closest chair and she opened the cupboard to the sink's right afterwards. She fetched two glasses, prepared ice water, and sat to the other hedgehog's left.

He glugged half the glass in one breath. "Thanks!" He exclaimed after setting it down. "I really needed that, Amy!

"Say… Why did you stop helping and following me around?" He leaned closer towards her, wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I really missed it. Really."

Amy stuttered. He was just as warm as he was before as well. "I-I-I… Well, I have an… explanation for that…"

"So what is it?" He smiled, drank more water with his free hand, and looked attentively.

"Well…"

The front door opened and closed again. Little steps pattered towards the kitchen, accompanied with screeching and crying. Sonic let go as Amy tried to get up. His wonder evolved to confusion when a little hedgehog scurried into the kitchen.

"Mama! Mama!" He clasped onto Amy's pants.

_Ma…ma?_

"There, there, Dash baby, Mommy's here," Amy said, picking him up. Sonic's mind continued racing. Dash kept bawling at her lap.

"Now, what happened?" She said as her face was near his ear. Her voice was soothing, calm. She performed her job well masking her emotions if she freaked out inside.

He sniffed. "I fell!"

Amy looked down. Dash's knees possessed skinned flesh. Scabs began forming. "Oh, baby!" She picked him up and finally rose. "Here, Sonic, hold him for a second!"

"Wha—Amy! What's going on?!" Sonic cried as she left the room. The squirming boy resumed crying himself. Sonic had no idea what to do, no idea what he was just thrust into. The ambiguity of the situation troubled him. He needed answers.

Amy returned with cotton balls and hydrogen peroxide. Sonic continued uncomfortably clasping the boy as he squealed during the clearing. When Amy applied an adhesive bandage over both wounds, she kissed each thrice and retrieved him from the other hedgehog.

Dash sniffed again and hugged his mother again. "I love you, Mama,"

"I love you too, Dashie."

"Amy… What's going on? Who's the kid? He looks just like me!"

"Sonic… You may want to still sit down…"

He remained seated, nervous. "Okay…"

"Sonic…" She sighed, unsure how to explain this. "Dash looks like you because you are his _father._"

Dash gasped and grinned. "Daddy's here?!"

Sonic, flabbergasted, cried "I'm your daddy?! But, but!...

"I'll be right back… I need to be alone for a minute!" And with that, Sonic zipped out of the house. When the door opened, the remaining hedgehogs heard Tails yelp.

"I guess that confirms what I thought: That Sonic was coming here first," he said upon entering the foyer and rubbing his door-plastered front shortly afterward.

Amy growled. "Tails, can you please watch Dash for a second? I'll be right back!"

"Amy—"

"WATCH HIM!" She screeched. And with that, she ran for Sonic, even if he did get a speedy and long distance head start. This had to end _today_…


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

2222

"Sonic? SONIC! Come back here and face me like a man!"

Amy huffed, then growled, then resumed running. Frustration and anger building up within her, Amy, already quite tired, contemplated where Sonic possibly retreated. Mind scrambling, it proposed one possibility: the lake. Yes, yes—that would make sense. Off to that location she trekked.

Amy stepped off the clean dirt path and into a nearby forest. A woodpecker assaulted tree bark and another bird chirped as twigs snapped under her feet's weight. Sunshine poked through the occasional free canopy. She was closer and closer to the lake, and it became clearer and clearer in the process.

She finally reached her destination. Sure enough, Sonic sat on a large rock by the sparkling blue shore. Short of some plants, clouds, and her, the entire setting sported some shade of blue. He stared at the graceful shoreline, avoiding her irate gaze.

"How _dare _you," she said through closed teeth. "How _dare _you run like that, you coward. Just because you can run away doesn't mean you should. _I _couldn't run, and_ I _took care of him almost entirely by myself over the years. Oh sure, there was Tails, Vanilla, even Knuckles occasionally, but for the most part it has been all _me_!"

Sonic's face did not turn.

"I was thirteen when you told me you loved me by this lake." She began to choke right now. "I was thirteen when you consummated your love with me by this lake that very night. I was thirteen when you left the next day to fight Eggman once again, and when I found out I was pregnant two months later. I was thirteen when I had to stay behind, because if anything happened to _your _child, I could not live with myself. I was fourteen when I gave birth to _your _child, and I would have been alone during the whole thing if it weren't for Vanilla and Cream! I waited for you, and waited, and waited, and waited… And you _never _returned. If you loved me so much, why didn't you come back until today?"

He still did not turn.

"SONIC! Answer me _now!" _The first tears flowed down.

His body shifted towards her. Although he emitted little noise, moist eyes still clearly presented his emotions.

"I'm sorry, Amy."

"_Sorry? SORRY? _All you can say is '_sorry?!'" _

"Look—I was fighting Eggman and interacting with and fighting mythical characters! I had very little time to even relax, because it would be one thing after the next!

"Amy, I didn't know that you were pregnant! If I knew, I would have at least tried to visit from time to time!"

"Well, it's good to know that you used the freedom you stole from me to save the world! But Sonic, your son and I should be _your _world! 'From time to time' is not good enough for a child with a father! He has lived his entire life _never_ seeing his father!"

"I never really knew my father, either!" Sonic defended.

"And neither did I! But look, Sonic—Dash is _lucky! _Dash has _parents! _Tails didn't have parents around, Knuckles is the last of his kind, Cream only had her mother… It's not fair that I have to be a single mother when you are going around smashing robots apart when you can take care of him as well! Do you understand what I'm saying, Sonic?"

Silently, he rose from the rock and stepped closer to her. "Yeah… But I'm … I hate to say this, but really, I'm… scared about being a father. I don't know how to be one, and I think I'm too young to be one. Wouldn't I lose everything I love: my independence, my relaxation, my—"

"—As much as I love that little boy, I still was too young to lose my independence and everything else I loved! But! …That sacrifice is well worth it. Trust me, Sonic. Please… _please _try to be with him, while he still thinks you are as amazing as you are and you can still play with him! I can't and shouldn't be his mother and father…"

She cried again. Sonic hugged her, simultaneously patting her back.

"Oh, man! Don't worry, I'll try—I'm just worried, that's all!

"In fact, it's almost lunchtime right now, right? C'mon—let's go home! I'll get started by making lunch while _you _rest! Cooking can't be that hard… Right?"


	4. Chapter Three

**LM Simpson's tidbits: **I apologize for the long wait (and the short chapter). I just finished my high school studies and am currently awaiting for graduation night. Plus, I had writer's block (my outlines tend to mutate). Eew.

**Chapter Three**

3333

Later that afternoon, Sonic sat across the kitchen table from his son. Before Dash laid a blue-trimmed plate with a sandwich, a red apple, and a glass filled to the top with milk. Instead of chowing down like a young, growing lad, the boy only stared down at the meal, elbows on the wooden table.

"What's wrong, champ? You aren't eating a thing!"

Dash pinched the top right corner of the white bread's crust.

"I don't like crust," he said with a wrinkled nose. "It's icky."

"Really? But it's the best part!" Sonic in reality did not think the crust was the best part, but wanted to speed up something he sensed would elapse longer than he desired.

"Get it off! I don't like it!"

"Just try one itty bitty part…"

"SONIC!" Amy yelled from the living room. "Just take the stupid crust off! It's not worth fighting over!"

_Sigh… _"Alright, alright, I'll take them off!" With a knife, Sonic moved to Dash's side and removed the offending crusts. A thin layer of peanut butter revealed itself. Thankfully, the boy did not complain again… immediately.

"There… Better?"

"No…" Dash pointed to the apple. "Mama always cuts it up."

_Sigh…_ "Amy, do you have an apple corer anywhere?"

"And Daddy," Dash added, "I'm allergic to milk!" He pointed at the glass this time.

"You gave Dash _milk,_ Sonic?" Amy was finally in the kitchen, clearly angered. She pointed behind her. "Into the living room _now, _Sonic! I'm taking over!"

Fighting with Amy was never worth it. Sonic left the kitchen without uttering a word.

3333

Night time arrived. Sonic watched the ceiling instead of the blaring TV set in the dark living room. He heard footsteps from a distant room (most likely Amy after setting Dash to bed), and resumed his daze. That was, until the overhead light came on, briefly blinding him.

"Aah! Amy, turn it back off!" His hand covered his face as he tried to recover.

Amy sighed. The light dimmed again. She sat beside Sonic and did not speak for a few moments.

"Sonic…" She said when she finally spoke, "I'm… Sorry for snapping at you earlier. I know you were trying to just help. But it's very clear that you don't know anything about your son: what he likes to eat, what he doesn't like to do… How long did you plan on staying here?"

"Not too long… Why?"

"I want you to stay for as long as possible. Starting tomorrow, hang out with him. You know, father-son time? I think it'll be good for both of you. That way, next time you make lunch, the crusts will be off, the apple will be cored, and juice will fill the glass."

"Yeah, good point…"

"Just think of you being with Tails when he was younger. Treat Dash like you would Tails. He really is a sweet boy, Sonic…"

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." _Tails wasn't much of a hassle… Hopefully fatherhood won't be like that aside from the food stuff…_


	5. Chapter Four

**LM Simpson's tidbits: **I apologize for the late chapter. I'm having a hectic pre-college summer. Plus, I'm trying my hand at getting published in wide circulation magazines.

**Chapter Four**

4444

Sonic waited impatiently outside Amy's house. Finally, after what felt like thirty lifetimes (but what was really two minutes), the front door opened.

"Are you sure you're not coming with us, Mama?" Dash, grasping the doorknob, asked.

Amy replied from out of view, presumably the kitchen or the living room. "No, this is your day with Daddy! I'll be fine! Have a good time! I love you!"

"…I love you too, Mama!" He said as he shut the door.

Dash walked to the father he first met the day before. The man sure resembled him, save for the eyes—a bright apple green. And he sure looked nice, smiling as the boy walked towards him. His mama surely wouldn't leave him alone with just anybody… He reached out a hand towards Sonic. The elder hedgehog slowly clasped his fingers around the little boy's.

"…Where are we going, Daddy?" He asked, referencing what Amy told her son during breakfast.

"Uh…" Sonic blinked. "I thought we'd just walk. Where do you wanna go?"

Dash silently contemplated his options. Finally, after what felt like two lifetimes (but what was really thirty seconds), he said:

"The flower field's good." He began walking. "Come on, let's go!"

"Wait right there, champ!" Sonic said. "I know a faster way there! Let me carry you!"

He blinked. "Okay, Daddy…" Dash said as Sonic picked him up. Once the boy tightly clutched his father's chest, Sonic zipped across the green landscape. Dash shut his watering eyes and squeezed even harder as the hedgehog-produced gust wildly blew his quills.

Before Dash knew it, his father stopped. He turned his head around and gasped. Amazingly, they were already at the flower field. The bright sunlight further illuminated the already vividly colored flowers.

"Wow, Daddy!" He exclaimed as Sonic gently dropped him back to Earth. "You're so fast! How did you do that?"

Sonic smiled. "Oh, it comes so naturally to me. I can just do it…"

"I wish I can be that fast. I'm a slowpoke…" His head dropped in shame and disappointment.

"Cheer up, Dash! You have all the time in the world to practice being as fast as me since you're… Say, um, how old are you?" His blue face developed red blush.

Dash's head rose up. "I'm turning _five_ next week!"

"Wow, that's awesome! What are you planning on doing?"

"Mama's making me a cake. Cream and Uncle Miles are coming over…"

"Are you going to do anything?"

Dash shrugged. "I'm the only kid my age here. No one wants to play with me…"

"…Oh.

"So, um, what do you want for your birthday, then?"

"I want you to stay, Daddy!" Dash said, grasping Sonic's chest. "Why aren't you never here, Daddy? Every time I ask Mama, she cries! Tell me!"

Sonic tilted his head. This kid sure knew how to make a man guilty…

"How about we sit down and I'll tell you?" He said as he dropped to his knees, bringing Dash down with him. Surrounded by flowers, he then began his autobiography with Dash paying attention.

4444

Amy just finished preparing her peppermint tea when the doorbell rang.

She sighed. "Are they back already?" She asked herself as she exited the kitchen.

It was not Dash and Sonic, or even Tails. It was instead a young teenaged Cream sporting a red headband and Mary Jane shoes. Amy could not believe the rabbit was the same age she was when she discovered she was a mother-to-be even though she always knew Cream.

"Oh, hi Cream… Why are you here?"

"It's Thursday, Amy! Remember?"

"Oooohh…" It was Tea Time Thursday. "Good afternoon! Come in, come in!"

The two girls re-entered the kitchen. Amy drank her tea straight, and Cream with sugar. Both sipped and blew before Cream started the conversation.

"Hmm… Where's Dash? Isn't his favorite show on right now?"

"He's out."

"With Tails?"

Amy shook her head. "Guess who finally came back?"

"Knuckles and Rouge?"

Another headshake. "He's been out far longer than those two."

Cream set her cup down. She leaned towards Amy. "Sonic? Sonic's here?"

Amy nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Gosh… I haven't seen him since I was a little girl. When did he return?"

"Yesterday. Unless Tails blabbed, you and him are the only ones who know."

"Wow…" She muttered. "How's Dash handling it?"

"A lot better than I thought. Maybe he's just happy to see another male hedgehog. I don't know. But he's overall adoring Sonic. And Sonic's _trying_ to be a father… For now…"

"Oh, I hope Sonic won't just leave again…"

"Or, Dash goes with Sonic and I never see them again…" Amy dropped her head, and saw his tea-stained reflection. What was Sonic telling him?"

4444

"Wow, Daddy! That's awesome!" The bright eyed boy exclaimed. "So Mama was with you?"

"And Tails, and Cream, and Knuckles…"

"Uncle Knuckles is weird," Dash declared.

Sonic snickered. This was his kid, alright. "Yeah, Knuckles was always a bit of an oddball…"

"Oh, hey Daddy! If you promise to stay for my birthday, can I go with you next time?"

Sonic stood up. "Maybe when you're older. You're going to get hurt if you go right now."

Dash frowned.

"But for now… Let's see if you can catch me!"

He began running at a much slower pace than usual. Dash got up and began pursuit. Sonic would always stop, but would always resume running once Dash got close enough.

"Hey! Daddy! Slow down!" The boy said with a spirited giggle.

_Hey, this dad thing is easier than I thought! _Sonic thought as he sprinted away for the fifth time. He apparently stopped just long enough for Dash's advantage.

"I GOT YOU!" He exclaimed as he lunged at Sonic.

"AAH! You got me! NOOO!" He yelled before guffawing with Dash. They decided to rest after that good laugh among the flowers, and classified clouds by shape and size for the rest of the afternoon.


	6. Chapter Five

LM Simpson's tidbits: I'm going through a difficult period of my life. I must have changed this, like, three times, _at least. _I'm so sorry this is so short.

**Chapter Five**

0000

Sonic and Amy retreated to the living room after breakfast. Amy dozed against a couch arm while Sonic watched an action movie on TV. As the protagonist fox leaped out of an exploding office tower's twenty-first floor, Sonic diverted his attention to the sleeping hedgehog. He wondered what dreams were churning in Amy Rose's mind; a smile was on her face.

Her foot lightly tapped against something. Looking down, Sonic discovered the source was a toy truck, obviously Dash's. Scanning the floor, he noticed a couple more toys scattered on the floor: a toy car, a metal truck, a red ball.

Sonic suddenly felt awkward in the room. _So this is what family life is like, _he thought. He never lived like this—at least, he could not remember living like that. He remembered very little of his childhood for that matter, let alone being four years old. How could he be an excellent father, then?

Dash's pitter-patter in the hallway interrupted his thoughts. The boy, armed with his mother's piko piko hammer, seemed to have the time of his life. He was happy by himself. He didn't need anyone else to play with to have fun.

Sonic brushed down the fur on Amy's arm. She was still as soft as she was years ago. He still loved her, thought about her the whole time he was gone. It was true that he was busy those years because of back to back robot attacks and natural disasters, but it was also because he wanted to protect Amy. It was one of the reasons why he did not admit his affections to her until he knew Eggman was gone for a long time, but like a sick joke, the doctor returned the morning after Sonic admitted all to Amy. By consummating with Amy, she was now a larger priority to protect: what if Eggman kidnapped her while she was pregnant, or what if she got in the way during an attack? And now that he had a son he never knew about until a few days ago, it was more important than ever to keep Eggman away.

His feet tingled and twitched. Not only did instinct make him want to run around the world three times, he sensed trouble was coming. Wherever he went, Eggman seemed to follow. Whether it was in reality an alien or a natural disaster, trouble was still imminent. It would not be safe to be here for any while longer. It wouldn't be safe for anyone, either.

He had to leave, for everyone's sake.

It was quiet enough still. Hopefully he could leave long enough to keep Eggman away from harassment. Maybe he could still attend Dash's birthday party too. But it was too dangerous right now.

He lightly kissed Amy on the cheek. She still slept, but wiggled and sighed in pleasure. Scribbling a quick note and leaving it on the refrigerator door, he tried to sneak out of the house.

He almost made it out without detection, until Dash entered the living room.

"Daddy," he said, still holding the piko piko hammer. "Where are you going?"

"I'm… Going to get food. It's a surprise for Mama, okay?" He then "shh'd" to tell Dash to keep quiet about it.

Dash smiled and repeated the motion. "See you soon, Daddy. I love you."

Sonic felt guilty now. "I love you too," he said before closing the front door.

Dash, oblivious to what was happening, picked up the toy truck by his mother's feet and pushed it to the other side of the room.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

(Route) 66 (Route) 66

Amy woke up. She yawned, then smiled as she noticed her son zipping a couple of toy cars across the living room to simulate a race.

"Hi, Dashie," she said.

"Hi, Mama. Daddy went out to get food."

"He did? That's nice of him…"

Amy got off the couch. The thirsty hedgehog shuffled to the kitchen to get some water. She just opened the cabinet door when she noticed a note on the fridge door. Instead of forwarding her hand to get a glass, she snatched the piece of paper off the magnet holding it. It was in Sonic's handwriting. Maybe he wrote what he was buying for lunch or for dinner?

Dash picked up the blue car by the TV when he heard his mother screaming in the kitchen.

"DAMN YOU, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!"

His mother started crying; first softly, then more loudly. He walked towards the kitchen, because when his mother cried it was never good.

"Are you okay, Mama?" He asked, standing right outside of the door.

Amy sniffled. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that your father… " She sighed. "You know what Dash? How about you go outside and play? Mama needs some alone time."

"…Okay…"

Dash grabbed the hammer and stepped outside. He snuck under the kitchen window to hear his mother. She was still crying as she called a number.

"Hello, Cream? It's Amy. That… _coward _left me again! Yes, I'm talking about Sonic! He wrote some junk about needing to leave for something! Remember the last time he left? Yeah, I do too, _perfectly. _He didn't even have the guts to tell me about it face-to-face!

"Cream, I'm eighteen years old! What do I have to show for it? Just a little boy whose father didn't even bother to come back until five years later! I just don't know how much longer I can take this…"

Sitting, a shaking Dash did not know how he was supposed to react? His father, a coward? Was his father telling the truth about his adventures? Did his father really care about him? And what did his mother mean at "not knowing how much longer she could take this?" Did his mother regret having him?

_Maybe Mama and Daddy… Hate me…_

Dash didn't know what to do. The thought of his own parents hated him seemed ludicrous, but at the same time it seemed logical. Sonic would have been home more often if he didn't hate his mother and him, while Amy wouldn't be talking about not only how much longer she could take taking care of him if she really loved him.

He was a burden. Maybe Uncle Miles did too. He told him so many times to call him Uncle Tails, but Miles was more of an authority type name than Tails. Maybe Uncle Miles hated him for calling him Uncle Miles. At that rate, even Cream would hate him soon, and she didn't hate anyone he knew of.

Dash decided what to do. If he was a burden, then he would just run away. Maybe an old lady would be kind enough to take him in. But he wanted to leave if no one here loved him. Still clutching the hammer, he ran away from the house and into the nearby forest.

LM Simpson's tidbits: Don't worry, there will be a happy ending to this fic, trust me…


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

7777

Dash ran, and ran, and ran. He tired quickly, but he felt he had to keep running. The farther he was away from home, he reasoned, the safer he would be.

The canopy above him was like a fragile shield of green leaves. Uncle Miles could easily chop away at it with his biplane. Dash could hear a plane above. The sound once provided comfort. Now it brought fear.

Dash could see the flower field nearby, and it was so tempting to rest there. Instead he stayed in the forest, because of the possibility Uncle Miles would snatch him and bring him back home. He sat against a large tree trunk and placed the hammer beside his right side.

The boy tried to ignore the buzzing by thinking, rare for a four-year-old boy. He thought first of Mama, who swiftly morphed from loving and caring to screeching and seething. The whimpering boy shifted his thoughts to Daddy, Uncle Miles, Cream, even Ms. Vanilla and Cheese. All of his attempts at comfort ended the same.

His mind refocused on two neutral figures. Aside from his first birthday party (which he could not remember), he only saw Uncle Knuckles and Aunt Rouge once before, when he stayed over the previous summer. Granted, Uncle Knuckles was obsessed with a giant emerald and Aunt Rouge loved being naughty in more ways than he could comprehend or wanted to comprehend, but surely they would take him in at that floating island they usually resided at. They were not around him long enough to hate him.

Dash did not know the way, but he was sure someone else other than Uncle Miles knew how to get there. He would go looking at that instant, if it weren't for Uncle Miles still surveying the area. The buzzing seemed to go forever.

_What's taking him so long? _He thought. Dash just wanted to speak, run, do anything but sit against a tree trunk.

Just as he thought that, the buzzing slowly faded out. Surely that meant he was safe, right? He sighed with relief, picked up the Piko Piko hammer, and entered the flower field.

It was not long after that when his ears detected more buzzing. It wasn't like a bee, nor an airplane. If anything, the unidentified flying object coming closer was more circular or egg-shaped than anything. Or, at least, it would be, if the top half was not removed, allowing the boy to see the sole occupant. Dash squeaked and retreated behind another tree trunk.

The craft at last landed at the flower field, crushing flower upon flower. An obese man with blue tinted glasses and a graying brown mustache stepped out. He leaned closer to where the little hedgehog was. Dash gasped and shook.

"So, are you finally so afraid of me that you're fleeing me?" He laughed. "Come on out! You can run, but you can't hide, Sonic!"

_Sonic? _The name sounded familiar. _Wait…_ _Daddy?_

Dash tiptoed a little away from hiding. "M-m-my n-n-name's n-not, S-sonic…"

The man stood there, dumbfounded. That definitely wasn't Sonic's voice. More like a little kid's. But the blue quills… It was either Sonic somehow turned into a little hedgehog… Or was it…?

"Wha—Well, do you know who Sonic is?"

Dash sniffed. "He's my daddy…"

His eyebrow cocked. _When did Sonic have a child?_ "He's your daddy? How come he never told an old friend of his about having a son?"

Dash began to walk closer to the man, shaking as he left the forest. He still grasped the hammer. The man jumped slightly upon seeing it, then regained his composure.

"You know my daddy?"

He nodded. "Oh yes, we go way back! Where did you get that hammer, boy?"

"From Mama."

His mind put two and two together. "Your mother is _the _Amy Rose?"

Dash looked up a little more. He wasn't shaking anymore. "You know my mama?"

"Amy was always harder to handle than that pesky Sonic, even when she was captured. Both of those hedgehogs got into my way so many times…"

Dash started feeling uneasy again. Something wasn't right about this man.

"Who are you? What's your name?"

He grinned a creepy cartoonish grin, and then laughed a laugh even creepier than his smile.

"Aren't you the little chatterbox? It shouldn't be hard to keep you quiet after I take over the world…"

Dash gasped. He shook again. Daddy told him about this man before. "You're… Doctor Eggman!"

He began to run into the forest, but Doctor Eggman quickly realized that the kid was quite the slowpoke. Especially when compared to his father's speed, it was hilariously ironic. It was not long before he discovered the man wrapped an arm under him. The boy wiggled, kicked, screamed, aimed to bite, tried to whack him with the hammer before his grip loosened and it hit the ground, anything to escape, but his blows were too soft. He continued resisting even after Eggman tied him up and placed into the one-man craft.

The egg-shaped hovercraft rose up into the air.

"Thank you for making my job much easier, kid!" He cackled again, causing Dash to scream at the top of his lungs in terror.

Tails was still in his plane, still circling around the forest and flower field, when his ears registered a sound. It was a scream—a little boy's scream. And there was only one little boy around the screamer's age around those parts…

Dash screamed again as Tails rode towards the flower field. As he got closer to the site, he realized that not only were Dash's screams closer to his level, but also that there was another air-vehicle in his sight. That craft was not hard to identify in the slightest…

"Oh, no! _Not _him!" Tails's eyes widened, before he grimaced.

"EGGMAN! How dare you go this far!"

Eggman knew _that_ voice, even if it was a little squeakier than when the speaker was eight. He cocked his head to confirm it was Tails Prower. Dash screamed again, not caring whether the fox was mad at him for being called Uncle Miles or not.

"UNCLE MILES, HELP ME!" The boy started to bawl. "HELP ME!"

"Quiet, boy!" The doctor nudged the kid hard in the side. Dash only kept crying.

Tails was now gnashing his canines along his lower teeth as rage surged within him. His plane flew closer to Doctor Eggman's.

The evil doctor hovered his index finger against a red button. Dash gasped, as he knew from television that red buttons were _never _a good sign.

Still sobbing, he shrieked, "No! Don't hurt my uncle, Doctor Eggman!"

"Oh, don't worry, kid," Eggman said before pressing the button. "I'm not going to hurt your uncle; I'm just going to… 'disable' him…"

Dash sniffed. "Oh, no!" "Disable" definitely did not sound good.

It was not a missile, or a rocket, or a laser, that escaped from Eggman's vehicle. Instead, a large, round boulder connected to a long chain dropped from the bottom of the vessel.

Tails was taken aback when he noticed Eggman's weapon of choice. "Has Eggman _finally_ lost _all _of his screws?" It was definitely primitive compared to everything else in Eggman's arsenal, if 1991 was long enough ago to be considered primitive.

Eggman raised his craft higher into the atmosphere. It was just high enough for the boulder to be squarely in Tails's path. As the craft zipped up, the boulder swung forward towards Tails. It was so fast that Tails could barely comprehend what was going on. He only could think fast enough to eject his seat out of the biplane before it made contact with the boulder.

As plane parts littered the flower field and surrounding forest, Tails resorted to flying by doubling his twin tails as helicopter propellers. The fourteen-year-old quickly realized how swiftly he became exhausted through this method as he hovered above the outskirts of the forest, helplessly watching Eggman and Dash turn into a black dot in the distance.

"This is _not _good! I must find Sonic and Amy!"


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

8888

Tails searched for his old companion the moment he arrived at his home. He entered his personal hangar via running and left via manning the _Tornado_. He would normally walk to Amy's house, but a kidnapping was an emergency. He had to arrive as fast as possible.

Back at Cream's house, meanwhile, Cream finally entered through the front door. She found Amy still sobbing as she sat on a kitchen chair.

"Amy!" She ran towards her friend, and then hugged her. "Oh, Amy, I'm so sorry about Sonic? How could he do this to you?"

The hedgehog exchanged the hug. "All he wrote was he had to go because trouble was coming! What does that mean? What does that mean?"

"I don't know, Amy, I don't know! Did he take Dash with him?"

Amy shook her head. "No, he didn't take Dash. Thank God for that… I told him to go play outside before I called you. He should be at the flower field by now…"

A blue plane landed near the house. The girls only saw the tail through the kitchen window as its engine went to a stop and the pilot ran to the front door.

"Amy!" Tails cried. "Thank God you're here! Where's Sonic?"

Amy reacted as if Tails just plunged a dagger in her stomach.

Cream got up. "Tails… Sonic left this morning." Amy choked as if she was coughing up blood.

"He _what?_ Are you kidding me?"

"No, Tails. He just up and left after breakfast."

Amy finally spoke. "Would it have _killed_ him to say 'goodbye' at the very least?"

"Amy…" Tails breathed through his teeth. "Look, you need to forget about Soni—"

Amy conjured a hammer out of thin air. Cream took shelter by the knife set and the sink. Amy pounded her feet towards the fox.

"Forget about Sonic? FORGET ABOUT SONIC? Have you lost your mind, Miles Prower?"

Amy raised the hammer. Tails tried to grab the handle. "Amy, listen to me—"

"No, _you _listen to _me!_" She pointed her finger right between his eyes.

"Amy, I'm trying to tell you about _Dash_!"

Amy's anger plummeted. She lowered the hammer closer to the ground. "You saw Dash?"

Tails nodded.

"What was he doing? Did he smash your window with a baseball again? I'm so sorry, but I don't have any more mon—"

"No, no, my windows are fine! Amy, we need to find Sonic _immediately_ because Dash was _kidnapped_!"

Amy flared. "THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING SON OF A—"

"Sonic didn't kidnap Dash! It was _Doctor Eggman!"_

Cream gasped. Amy yelled, "Are you lying to me?"

"_No! _Trust me; I saw him with my own two eyes! He destroyed my plane when I intervened!

"Amy, if Sonic isn't here, then we must find him _now!"_

"Why? Like he gives a flip about his own family!"

"Sonic is Dash's father! You're his mother! Eggman wouldn't go after Dash if he didn't know it could destroy everything Sonic and you love! Dash is in danger! We need to save him, and I know Sonic can save him! You do too, Amy! I know you do! You can yell at him later, but just forget about it right now so your son gets to see his fifth birthday!"

Tails gasped for air the second he ended his monologue. Cream took a couple of steps away from the sink. All Amy did was stand there, tears attempting jail break from her eyes.

"…Tails?"

"Yes?"

"… Do you have a plane all three of us will fit into?"


	10. Chapter Nine

LM Simpson's tidbits: I originally wrote part of this chapter as a tie-in, but I decided that it would probably be better to insert the scenes into this chapter. For that reason, the rating is now bumped up. I just edited the prologue to edited a typo and update the rating/warnings.

Oh, and did you know that baby hedgehogs are called piglets? REALLY. Baby echidnas are called puggles. That's the most adorable thing I've ever heard…

… Puggle. (snickers)

**Chapter Nine **

9999

Shortly after their discussion, Tails and Amy flew in the air in the _Tornado._ Tails offered to have one of the girls ride on one of the wings, but Cream offered to stay behind in case Sonic passed by her house. Before she left, Tails handed her a walkie-talkie and told her the frequency to check when and if she spotted their man.

Tails piloted the plane, while Amy sat in the seat behind him. Amy was supposed to look high and low to locate Sonic, but she instead kept thinking about what had happened to her over the last few years. The lake's waves washed ashore memories as she tried to scan the surrounding area for a true blue hedgehog.

_Amy made love only once. She didn't think of it as a "one night stand," or "screwing," or, heaven forbid, "fucking," because all three implied no emotion or connection existed between the two partners in her mind. She considered the coitus session where she lost her virginity "making love" because she was "doing it" with the hedgehog she loved. She felt her love growing stronger inside her as Sonic admitted, yes, he loved her before kissing her on the cheek, as she laid on her back against the grassy bank, as Sonic took her for the first time, so slowly, so gently, it was probably killing a part of him inside, and as they embraced and kissed, side by side each other, post-sex._

_It was the best moment of her life, until she woke up and she was gone. She frowned, both in irritation and disappointment. The world called for Sonic and he was out to help, like a soldier on active duty. Typical Sonic, for sure. _

_She sighed, thinking _Oh, he'll be back… Soon_, as she slipped back into her dress._

_Two months later, she entered her home with groceries and a drugstore pregnancy test. Amy satisfied her craving of oranges before entering the bathroom. Not long after taking the test, she shrieked._

_Amy Rose was scared._

_She shook, knees sunk deep into the baby pink bathroom rug. Her upper back brushed the front of the toilet as her hands covered her face._

_Amy Rose was crying._

_Her mind raced. The test on the floor, that little strip of plastic, read positive. She didn't want to look at it again. The image already invaded her mind._

_Amy Rose was pregnant._

Tails moved away from the lake, since he did not locate Sonic there at that time. He moved on to the shops that provided supplies to the locals. Amy's stomach almost churned as she flashed back again.

_She had mixed feelings__ about her pregnancy__. Amy always wanted to be a mother, that was true. She was thirteen, that was also true. _

_Amy told no one but her diary about Sonic and her being a legitimate couple. She was aware of her young age, but wanted to keep the little bit of Sonic inside her. She wasn't a whore, and the conception was a miraculous mistake after a single bout of consensual, admittedly unprotected sex. It would have been cruel to destroy something made from love. Besides, Sonic contributed to creating the love inside her; it would only be appropriate if Sonic found out first._

_Amy told no one, not even her diary, about the pregnancy yet. She wanted Sonic to be around before anyone else knew. That way her friends and passerby knew she wasn't loose or just pinning the baby on him. She resorted to staying in her home all day and only going out at night or whenever anyone she knew wouldn't see her buying food or baby supplies. She could not afford exposure as the months went by._

_Amy continued wearing her regular clothing, one piece dresses, until her belly swelled and they tightened to the point she worried they'd rip. She eventually resorted to the oldest articles she owned: a green shirt and an orange skirt, the clothing she wore the first day she personally encountered Sonic. They were the only non-one piece dress items in her closet, but they reminded her of the hedgehog that convinced her to keep the baby. It also looked crude to have her skirt rubbing just under her stomach and her shirt poking above it, but it was the best fit she could have before she could get proper maternity wear._

_I can't believe I got away with that for so long, _Amy thought as she looked down at the ground, scanning it for anything moving and blue. _Either that or no one wanted to talk to a pregnant girl in her face…_

_Eight months passed. Sonic still didn't return. Amy read the paper, watched the news, listened to the news, read the digital news. Any sign he was alive gave her a reason to believe he would be back, soon, because surely he loved her enough to come back… Right?_

_The baby kicked and moved a lot now. Amy made a smug grin as she rubbed her belly. The fetus was already acting like an impatient Sonic even in-utero. The action aggravated her sickness to the point she could barely keep any food down. _

_She moved her hand to her mouth. Stomach acid and half-digested food pushed up her esophagus, and she knew she couldn't fight this one bit._

_Amy dashed to the toilet near the living room, still cupping her mouth. As she began retching, she could hear knocking on the door. _

"_Amy! Amy! Are you in there, Amy?"_

_She recognized the voice: Cream, not Sonic. Cream knocked on the door every day, trying to look for her. Tails did too, occasionally, though mostly to find Sonic, not to talk to her. Amy made as little noise as possible and kept the curtains closed to make it look like no one was there. It worked, for the most part._

_Amy finished vomiting. She hoped Cream would be gone soon so that she could flush the toilet without making her presence known._

_Cream knocked again._

"_Amy! Are you in there? Oh, please talk to me, Amy!"_

_Amy still waited. Cream acted the same every day to try to contact her idol. Her knocked-up idol, for now._

_Cream sniffled as Cheese squealed sadly. "Oh, what happened to her? Maybe she moved or left with Mister Sonic… No, she wouldn't do that without telling anyone… What if she's… dead?"_

_Amy retched again. That wasn't the same!_

_Sour bile permeating her throat, Amy ran to the door and opened it to daylight for the first time in months._

"_I'm alive! I'm alive! Cream, I'm alive!"_

_Cream jumped as the door opened in front of her. She squeezed Cheese in her arms as she saw the woman on the door: she looked like Amy, but not the Amy she was familiar with. Her pink quills were not brushed down but scattered all about, her stomach was huge and round, and her clothing was different. She also stank of vomit._

"…_Ame… Mee?"_

_Amy slowly nodded. Her face was sad._

"_What… Happened to you, Amy?"_

"_Come in, Cream," she whispered. "Try to be quiet."_

_Cream shook. Her knees buckled. She was too scared to even stutter._

"_Come in! I won't hurt you! Just come in, before anyone sees us!"_

_Cream slowly moved forward. Amy closed the door behind the two of them._

_Amy first hand-brushed her quills down before looking at Cream. Both sat on the couch. _

"_I know I need to explain to you a lot of things, Cream."_

"_What happened, Amy?" The little girl was saddened, still a little scared._

"_Well, um… First… I uh… Am having a baby."_

_Cream stared fixed-eyed at Amy's stomach before swishing her head back towards the blank TV screen. Staring was rude, her mother told her once._

"_No, no, you can look, Cream. You can even touch it too to see."_

_Cream slowly moved her hand towards the pregnant stomach. It was hard, not soft and squishy._

_The rabbit wanted to know who the father was, but was afraid of offending Amy. Not only was it rude, but Amy had quite the temper too._

"_I'm going to give birth soon. I've got maybe another month, tops. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl or if it's healthy or not. I haven't gone to the doctor or almost anywhere else since I found out."_

"_Why not, Amy?"_

"_I was going to tell Sonic first…"_

"_Why Mister Sonic?"_

_Amy began crying. "…He's the father."_

_Cream gasped. During her short life, she imagined motherhood would be similar to her mother and her's situation: that the mother would be sweet, caring, and beautiful and that the father (if he was still alive, that was) would be around to help. And yet Amy looked horrible and sad, while the father (if he was even still alive, since she hadn't seen him for months) wasn't around to help__._

"_Where's Mister Sonic?"_

"_I don't know! I haven't seen him in months! Last time I heard he was in Tibet or something! He told me he loved me! He should be coming back soon, right?" She began bawling, and this really bothered Cream._

"_I wanna help…" She said slowly._

"_How can you?"_

"_I can talk to my mother… She will help…"_

_Yes, Vanilla and she were in good ties before. Vanilla was experienced. She already betrayed Sonic by divulging her secret to Cream, so it wouldn't hurt to get help now._

"_Yes… Go get your mother. I'd love to talk to her."_

There were residences along the green hill, including Cream and Vanilla's. Amy was definitely thankful for the two rabbits. Back then Vanilla helped Amy with Parenting 101, and now Cream was helping her with ground surveillance. If they were lucky, Sonic was still in the area, unlike the last several years…

_Two weeks later, Amy woke up in the middle of the night with cramping. Then her water broke. It was time. Good thing that Vanilla and Cream were sleeping over in the living room. Approximately half a day later, a baby was born. A baby boy, her baby boy._

"_So what's the baby's name, Amy?" Cream asked while Amy breastfed._

_The boy was his father's spitting image, but Sonic, Junior did not seem to match him. She felt silly that she did not actually plot many names while she was pregnant. Sonic, Junior for a boy and Sarah Rose for a girl and that was it. Even Amy knew it would be even sillier to name a boy Sarah Rose than Sonic, Junior._

_The boy took forever to be born. If only the birth was done in a flash, like on TV… Flash sounded good… But "Flash" had some negative connotations too: flashers, the Flash, lightning flashes… Not to mention that "Flash" itself seemed flashy… Hmm… How about Dash? It wasn't too flashy, but still worked with his father…_

_Amy smiled at her feeding newborn. "…Dash. His name's Dash…"_

Amy smiled again at the memory as she realized her neck was killing her, being in the same position for who-knows-how-long. As she self-massaged the back of her neck, she looked forward at the back of Tails's head. In retrospect, she was probably a little harsh on the unsuspecting surrogate uncle the first time she introduced him to his nephew…

_Amy cringed the first time she took Dash out, concealing him with a blue blanket. Tails caught her in his eye and walked over to her._

"_Hi, Amy," he said, "Do you know where… Sonic… is…" His head tilted and leaned forward along with the rest of his body. Amy knew what he was trying to get a closer look at._

"_Is that… What I think it is?"_

_Amy huffed as she drew the blanketed bundle closer to her chest. "Haven't you ever seen a baby before, Tails?"_

"_Yeah, I know what a baby looks like… Where did you get it?"_

"_I gave birth to him, Tails! Where else could he have come from but my womb?"_

"_Well, uh… I don't know. …Can I see it?"_

_She sighed. She moved some of the blanket away. The chill on his naked chest made Dash squeal. _

_The fox stared slack-jawed. The kid looked familiar. Heck, if he didn't know better, he would say the father was…_

"_Sonic. Sonic's a daddy, Tails. Little Dash is his son. Be sure to tell him the next time you see him, because I'm getting really, really angry with him!"_

_Amy covered Dash back up and moved up down the road. Tails stayed where he was, feeling awkward and confused. _

The duo was at the stretch of forest near the flower field. The foliage was thick, too thick to just look down at. Cream, as far as Amy knew, was probably going to look there after a while. It seemed like a great place to go play hide and seek during Dash's party next week...

_Dash turned one. The last time Amy spotted Sonic on the evening news two weeks prior, he just defeated yet another one of Eg__gman's robots at the Tian Shan. W__herever _that_ was. She couldn't find _that_ on the map to save her life._

_Amy pondered where in the world her favorite soldier was on his son's birthday. Sonic moved around faster than migrating birds and therefore was impossible to contact when he wasn't physically near her. Sonic was gone for a long time before, but this was getting ridiculous._

_The sky was clear and the temperature warm. Perfect for an outdoor birthday party. Perfect weather to be optimistic about her lover's reunion. _

_She only invited a handful of people. Tails presented his surrogate nephew a model version of his father's Tornado. Dash's tiny hands grasped the tiny plane from the high chair and "fwooshed" it to the grass to Tails's horror. Vanilla, Cream, and Cheese provided a couple of stuffed animals—a cow and a raccoon—and that month's supply of diapers. Knuckles, accompanied by Rouge, came although he wasn't aware Dash even existed until the day before the party._

"_So Sonic is the boy's father?" Knuckles asked Amy as Vanilla recorded Dash decorating himself with mushed up butter cake._

"_Of course!" Rouge interrupted. "How many blue hedgehogs do you know besides Sonic?"_

"_So where is the coward, then?"_

_Amy gasped. "How dare you say that! Sonic is no coward!"_

"_I don't see him at his own son's birthday party. Has he even seen his son once ever since he was born?"_

"_Sonic doesn't even know he's the father!"_

"_What? You mean you pinned the boy on another man?"_

_Rouge facepalmed as Amy flared up. "NO! I haven't seen him for almost two years! He doesn't even know I was pregnant!_

"_But he'll come back soon! I just know he will! And we'll be a happy family after that! I just know it!"_

_Knuckles and Rouge stood, silent and uncomfortable, as Amy leaned over to retrieve the blue and yellow rattle Dash flung in their direction._

Amy spotted a blue blur in the near distance. It was at the flower field. It was zipping by, faster than the speed of sound itself, until it spotted some wreckage—most likely Tail's plane's wreckage.

"Tails! TAILS!"

"What? WHAT?"

"I found Sonic! He's in the flower field near that wreckage!"

Tails noticed the same blue blur. "Roger that!"

As the plane dropped lower, Amy wondered how to confront Sonic once and for all. She thought about all the things he missed: birthdays, walking, talking, potty training, everything.

I hope he's okay_, Amy thought as the evening news began. _

_Dash, wearing blue footie pajamas, pulled himself onto the couch, clutching a dirty blue cow with one of his hands. Amy picked him up and placed him, cow and all, on her lap._

_The typical news subjects played on the television. A landslide killed thirty people elsewhere in the world. The weather report predicted a sixty percent chance of rain the next three days. The baseball team won their home game 5-2._

_Amy dropped her head as the local news concluded. No sign of Sonic, once again. She last heard of his activities… What, three weeks ago? A week away from a month. Almost a month since she last saw Sonic on TV, after he rescued a little girl from certain death during an earthquake.__ He never made a reference about her any time that he was covered by reporters or interviewed by them. And it was not like Sonic had a permanent address of any kind…_

_She sniffed, wiped a tear away from her eye. _

_Dash hugged the cow. "OK, Mama?"_

_Amy fought her tears. "Yes, Mama is okay…"_

_No! Mama is not okay…_

The Tornado finally touched ground. It did not even completely stop when she unbuckled and jumped out of her seat.

…_Mama is very angry with Daddy!_

"SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!"

Sonic, holding a broken propeller, looked back at Amy. Her face was red, her eyes were full of fire, she was as hot as a furnace. Sonic knew what was about to happen…

"You coward! How dare you leave your family again! Why did you leave?"

He still held the propeller. "I—"

"Sonic!" Tails yelled, as he flew with his tails. "We need to leave now! Eggman captured Dash!"

Sonic covered his face in shame. He cursed under his breath. "How did that madman find Dash? Dammit, that was my worst fear! That's the exact reason why I left!"

Amy was shocked. "You knew he was coming, Sonic?"

"Do you want to know the truth, Amy? Do you want to know the real reason why I was gone for so long? That crazy man always follows my trail! He has given me no peace ever since the day I left! He's only gone crazier since he first began attacking! I didn't want to get you or Dash hurt or _killed…_"

Amy's lower jaw lightly shook up and down. She quickly covered her mouth, which muffled her dialogue. "Oh no, oh no, oh no… This is all my fault… Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

"Do you know where Eggman could be hiding?" Tails asked.

"I think so, Tails…"

Amy regained her composure. "Well, what are we waiting for? Eggman could be poking my poor baby and hurting him for all I know! Let's give that monster a taste of his own medicine!"


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

10101010

Night fell on Angel Island.

Knuckles polished the Master Emerald carat by carat, occasionally cocking his head back to see if Rouge was still asleep. As much as his love for the bat blossomed over the years, he still felt the need to watch Rouge around the Emerald. The large gem still tempted her.

The echidna resumed polishing when his ears detected a plane's roaring engine. Planes did not normally travel to the island. Who knew what the pilot's intent was at that time of the night? The guardian sighed as he placed his rag on the dirt floor. He would have to check it out. Confirming that Rouge did not awake from the noise, he left the Master Emerald be. He traveled through the jungle and forest throughout the island before reaching the shore the plane would have landed at.

Even in the dark he noticed "SONIC" in capital letters on the side of the aircraft. Sonic had just hopped off his plane when something swift and red leapt from the bushes. Knuckles punched him in the gut, spikes and all, before Sonic could realize what was going on and jump back. The hedgehog slid along the sand and dirt on his back until the Tornado's back wheel discontinued his inertia.

Sonic groaned, unsure how to hold his back and stomach at the same time. Amy and Tails leaped out of their seats. Knuckles charged toward the injured hedgehog until Amy ran and stopped in front of Sonic, standing and spreading her limbs apart to resemble a star.

"KNUCKLES!" Amy cried. "What are you doing? Sonic hasn't done anything to you!"

The echidna discontinued his attack just inches from the pink hedgehog. He inhaled and exhaled. "No, but that _deadbeat_ has hurt Dash and you for the last five years! I know _I_ would never abandon _my_ family like that if I had one!"

Sonic continued groaning. Amy's lower jaw dropped as she turned around, noticed just how battered her lover was.

Amy turned back to Knuckles. Her mouth was still open, but silent until she snapped it shut again. She needed to make this easy for the simple echidna to understand the situation with as few misunderstandings as possible.

She opened her mouth again. "Look… Sonic was in the wrong. I know that. I admit that… But so were you just now, Knuckles! We're here for your help!"

"Help? For what?"

"It's about Dash… That monster Doctor Eggman kidnapped him! Sonic thought he would be here for his latest scheme…"

Knuckles sighed. "_That _man? I haven't noticed anything here until you three arrived. So I think he's not here."

Sonic groaned again as he tried to raise himself up. "Well… Even if he's not here… _yet_, then he may be here soon, because I attract him like catnip to a cat.

"_But, _I think he's already here. I'm positive about that. He avoided your detection, that's all. We just need your help around parts of the island only you would know about. Y'know, like an Indian guide!" He grinned upon sighting Knuckles's reaction.

"But Sonic," said Tails, "it's dark now! And besides, you're injured! Who knows what internal damage Knuckles inflicted on you?"

"That's never stopped me before!"

Knuckles re-entered the conversation. "Tails is right. You are not in the right condition to fight Eggman right now. Get some rest."

Sonic turned to the only female in the group. "Amy—"

Amy's head tilted down. She twiddled her thumbs. "I think… That's what's best for now…"

Sonic, clutching his stomach, groaned as he slid down to the ground.

0000

Amy opened her eyes. She first looked up solely at the twinkling stars above the floating island, and then raised her upper half up to observe everyone sleeping: Tails curled up by both his tails, Knuckles and Rouge entwined in each other, and—

_Hey, where's Sonic?_

Amy felt her face turn red as she wondered how she did not notice the blue hedgehog next to her get up and leave while she was sleeping.

She heard something, something bipedal, something around Sonic's height, walking in the flora surrounding the crew. Sure of what was causing the clatter, she rose up and snuck away into the jungle.

Sonic entered another clearing in the jungle. He tilted his head up to look at the full moon until he sensed something, something bipedal, something around Amy's height, was behind him.

"Sonic!" A voice hissed, sounding just like Amy Rose, making Sonic jump.

He turned his entire body around, noticed Amy standing not three yards behind him, standing erect.

"Where do you think you're going, Sonic?" She whispered.

"Where else? Trying to find Eggman's hideout!"

"But what about your wounds?"

Sonic pointed at his two-little-scab-covered stomach, turned back around and pointed at his intact quills, and then back in front of Amy.

"See? I'm fine!"

"Don't be foolish, Sonic! If Knuckles can break through cement and stone with those gloves, imagine the damage he could do to soft tissue!"

He paced almost three yards in front of Amy.

"Look, Amy... I'm used to pain. I once defeated Eggman in the Tian Shan with a broken arm. "

Amy's hands clutched her hips. "You could get killed doing that, Sonic!"

He sighed. "I know that Eggman is with Dash somewhere on the island. Trust me, he's always up, just like one of his robots. He could easily be doing something to Dash _right now_. If Knuckles won't help me, then I'll do it myself, like I did when Eggman first attacked.

"Amy…" He sighed again. "I know that no matter how many times I say this that you will never believe me, but _I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! _I'm sorry for leaving you pregnant and alone, I'm sorry for not being around when Dash was a baby, I'm sorry for breaking your heart over and over and over and over again… _DAMMIT, I'M SORRY_! FOR BEING A _FOOL, A DEADBEAT, A…!_"

Tears escaped from Sonic's eyes, a truly peculiar and disturbing sight for Amy.

"Oh, Sonic!" Her hands left her hips and transferred them to his. She moved forward, curled her arms around his waist, nuzzled her muzzle into his chest. "I forgive you! Don't worry, I forgive you! You can't change the past, but you can always change the future!"

Misty eyed, Sonic wrapped his own arms around Amy's waist. "I don't want to disappoint Dash anymore... I don't want to hurt you anymore… I just wanted you to be safe, that's all… I didn't want Eggman to hurt the closest thing I had to a family… I know that logic is foolish, but it made so much sense when I was sixteen… I really do love you, Amy…"

Amy lifted her head, gazed at him with her now dewy eyes, and kissed Sonic on the cheek. He returned the gesture with a kiss on the lips. Their kisses grew quicker, more passionate, more uncontrollable, until Sonic's hands clasped on the ends of Amy's red shirt, and slid it up.

0000

In an underground base elsewhere on the island, Doctor Eggman awoke to cries outside of his temporary and bare bedroom.

He growled as he left his hard bed, met chilled concrete with his feet. He opened the steel door to his room and entered the almost empty room containing a steel cage-imprisoned Dash.

The little hedgehog noticed the evil doctor was in the room. Dash shrieked and shook as he scooted as far as he could against the steel bars. The cage was small, just barely big enough for the tiny four-year-old. If his quills and back could squeal in pain at the pressure and friction against them, they would.

"Do you _ever _shut up?" The man growled at the hedgehog.

Dash could only cry, attempt to curl into a ball.

Eggman kicked the cage. It tipped over, leaving Dash squealing and groaning and crying again.

Eggman sighed, and then pointed a finger at the cowering hedgehog. "Shut up, and let me sleep! I have much in store for you and your parents tomorrow and a case of insomnia will not make me screw it up! …"

The doctor grinned evilly and laughed as he turned and returned to his room.

Dash successfully curled himself into a ball. Eyes, throat, and nose sore from crying all day, all he could think about was that evil grin… And his parents. He wished he was back in his bed and his mother was reading _Grimms Fairy Tales_ to him.

…_Do Mama and Daddy even miss me? _

0000

Amy draped her shirt over her head, slid it down her back, and adjusted it to comfort. Staring at the dirt, she pushed her knees up, crossed her arms, and rested her elbows on her knees.

Sonic, already sitting close to her, scooted closer. "Hey, Amy—"

"I shouldn't have given in to that…"

"You didn't enjoy that?"

"I did… But knowing that Dash is in danger, I shouldn't have…"

Amy's hands clasped her face. Sonic wrapped a hand around her back, rested his head against her shoulder. His stomach ached with guilt.

"…Did Dash ask where I was a lot?"

Amy nodded. "As soon as he could walk and talk."

Sonic's eyes focused on the full moon. "… Amy?"

"Yes, Sonic?"

"Can… You tell me some things about Dash? Like, stuff only his family, especially his parents, would know…"

A smile formed on her wet face. "His name is Dash, Dash the Hedgehog. Not Dashiel, not Dasher, just Dash. I gave him his father's surname. He's turning five next week. He likes white cake with white icing and he wants a toy car. His favorite lunch is a sandwich with no crust, a cored apple, and juice. His favorite show is _Flicky's Birdhouse _and he loves fairy tales..."


End file.
